Mukul Choudhary, who considers legendary wicketkeeper MS Dhoni his idol, delivered a match-winning unbeaten 54 off 27 balls as Lucknow Super Giants stunned Kolkata Knight Riders with a last-over win at Eden Gardens. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter anchored the chase of 182 with composure, turning the game around after LSG was in trouble
KKR had the game under control for large parts of the contest. However, Mukul shifted the momentum with a calculated innings under pressure, finishing the job with control in the final overs. At 128 for 7 in 16 overs, with 54 still required, the game appeared in KKR's grasp. LSG had already lost key batters including Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni. Mukul, however, paced the chase smartly, picking his moments and ensuring the asking rate remained within reach.
After his heroics, Mukul Choudhury’s Father Dalip Choudhury came up to share his hardships story and his and Mukul’s efforts to reach to where he is today.
Dalip Choudhary reveals going to jail after failing to make payments on time
From a young age, Mukul faced hardships. Be it his father selling their house, or their struggle to find a good cricket academy, or regular visits from loan sharks, or his father going to jail, the journey was anything but easy.
Dalip Choudhury said after the match, “When I was blessed with a son, I decided that I would do everything to make him a cricketer. In 2016, Mukul and I reached SBS crichub In Sikar, around 70km away from home, in search of a good academy. Once I enrolled I realised I don’t have enough money so I sold the house for 21 lakh.”
The next year, I started a hotel and took another loan and failed to pay the installment, even going to jail. All my relatives left me calling me a madman saying "You have ruined your own life now spare your son.”
Choudhary hails from a small village, Khedaro Ki Dhani, in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district. When LSG signed him for Rs 2.60 crore in the auction, more than 13 times his base price, the first thing he promised his father was that he would repay the loans taken to support his cricket dream. After his pomp and show last night, both son and father were emotional.
